The Knowledge of Emrys
by roseannacharlotte
Summary: AU: Merlin gets lost on his way to Camelot and finds himself in the Crystal Cave where he gains knowledge of his and Arthur's destiny. This changes events once he arrives in Camelot.
1. The Prophecy

The Prophecy:

A long time ago before the Romans invaded Britain there lived a Queen named Boudicca who ruled the Iceni people. It was a few years into this queen's reign during a great festival when a stranger, a young woman, walked into the midst of the revellers and curtsied to Queen Boudicca. When the young woman straightened up she began to speak in a voice that echoed eerily amongst the Iceni tribe.

"A time is coming when Albion shall be at great peril. A grieving king shall blame his misfortunes on magic and try to wipe it out unsettling the balance of life. Only the union of Emrys and the Once and Future King can lead to the restoration of the balance and to the golden age of Albion. These men, known as Magic and Courage, will require the aid of Strength, Honour, Loyalty, Bravery, Valiant, Grace and Justice in their endeavours. But Emrys must be wary for unless Justice knows the truth she can easily be swayed unto Revenge which would bring about the end of Albion."

Having completed her prophecy the stranger left never to be seen or heard from again. The Iceni people did not understand what the young woman's words meant but they passed on the prophecy to all the people of the land and overtime much of the prophecy was forgotten. By the time the grieving king began his persecution of magic all that was remembered was that Emrys and the Once and Future King were destined to bring the golden age of Albion and that Revenge was destined to bring Albion's end.

* * *

In a time of myths and a land of magic, the fate of an entire kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy. His name – Merlin. Our story begins on the day Merlin leaves his village for the first time in his life and sets off towards the great city of Camelot, where his uncle Gaius works as court physician. Merlin was no ordinary boy. From the moment of his birth he had been able to perform feats of magic that others had been unable to achieve after years of study and practise. The young warlock was able to move objects and slow down time without even using a spell. He didn't actually know any spells. Due to his lack of training, Merlin couldn't always control his magic and freak accidents would often occur when he was around. This was why he was leaving Ealdor; the village that he had called home all his life. Gaius had once studied sorcery and would be able to help Merlin learn control.

So the young lad started his journey towards the great city he had so far only heard tales of but had never before seen. As you might expect, a boy travelling alone to a foreign city soon got lost in the unfamiliar woodland. When night began to spread its dark tendrils across the sky and through the trees Merlin heard a clap of thunder in the distance and realised a storm was on the horizon. Looking around him carefully as he continued to walk through the darkening wood Merlin searched for a place he would be able to shelter from the storm during the night. Just as the rain began to fall the boy noticed an opening in some rocks. He had found a cave. Perfect.

The inside of the cave was enormous and sticking out of the walls were large crystals glowing with an unearthly blue light. Merlin could feel that the cave was highly magical, it made him feel safe and secure but he still felt slightly uneasy about the crystals and something in the back of his mind told him not to touch them. So he carefully navigated his way to the back of the cave where there were less crystals then lay down and fell asleep, utterly exhausted, and completely unaware of the shift in the pathway of fate that his entering the cave had caused. Deep under Camelot castle the last of the dragons shifted uneasily in its sleep whilst up in the castle above the King's Ward slept dreamlessly for the first time in many years.

Merlin's sleep was not so dreamless. In his slumber, the boy witnessed the creation of the Emrys prophecy.


	2. Freeing a Dragon and Meeting a Prat

Freeing a Dragon and Meeting a Prat:

When Merlin entered the Crystal Cave he was but a boy, when he came out again he was a man – he was Emrys. Sleeping inside the birthplace of magic had given Merlin the knowledge of who he was and why his magic was so powerful. Merlin knew now of his destiny and of the prophecy of Emrys and the Once and Future King. He knew that Arthur Pendragon was the other half of his coin and that together they would unite the land of Albion and restore magic to Camelot (since it was the current king, Uther Pendragon, who had decreed magic illegal and sought to stamp it out of his land). Emrys had been born because of this decree and Uther's son Arthur had been bequeathed the title Once and Future King by destiny so that together the two young men could heal the land of the destruction Uther's purge had wrought upon it.

Leaving the cave the greatest warlock that shall ever live turned his feet towards Camelot once more. He no longer was lost. The knowledge bestowed upon Merlin in the cave showed him the path to the citadel. As he continued on his journey Merlin noticed a tent erected near the road, knights of Camelot stood around a fire that burned merrily, a pot bubbling away above it. An older woman dressed in the course brown clothing of a peasant was sneaking through the trees, apparently trying to reach the tent without the knights noticing. Emrys frowned. What was the woman doing? She had magic; he could sense it though it was not particularly strong. He also felt a strong sense of grief and despair coming from the woman in question.

"What are you doing?" he asked her with his mind. The old woman startled and looked around her in fright.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"I am Emrys. What are you doing?" he repeated his question.

"Uther Pendragon killed my son. I will have revenge. I will kill his son."

"And how do you plan to do that?" The old woman smiled grimly when she heard his question.

"I'm going to disguise myself as Lady Helen of Mora and sing for the guests at the feast. The song will cause all the people in the hall (apart from myself of course) to fall asleep and I'll be able to kill Arthur Pendragon right under his father's nose." The woman chuckled darkly. Emrys shook his head.

"I can't let you do that."

"WHAT? You would protect the people who persecute our kind?" the woman's screech echoed through his mind.

"Arthur Pendragon is the Once and Future King, it is my destiny to protect him. Besides which, killing the Pendragons would not solve anything. We need to end the cycle of hate so that all people can live in harmony together. I'm sorry about your son but I'm sure he would not want his mother to become a killer because of his death."

This last point seemed to sway the woman and she deflated against the tree she had been hiding behind. Merlin walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at the great warlock and suddenly Merlin found she was sobbing into his shoulder. He patted her back gently and led her softly away from the camp of Lady Helen and the knights of Camelot. It would not do for Camelot's knights to find two magic users so close to their camp.

"Sorry." This was the first word either of them had spoken aloud that evening.

"Don't be. Grief has always had a powerful effect on the minds of men, and women." Merlin smiled at her.

"You were right, Thomas wouldn't have wanted me to kill anyone, not even Arthur Pendragon." She look at Merlin. "Thank you Emrys for reminding me of that. You have a good heart. Don't ever lose it."

"What will you do now?"

"I can't go back to Camelot. Uther knows I use magic now. Perhaps I'll find the druids, they'd offer me sanctuary I'm sure."

"Well when you find them, tell them you met me and that I'll be with the Once and Future King soon. Give them some hope. It won't be too long now."

"Goodbye Emrys and thank you, again." The woman turned to go.

"Goodbye…" Merlin looked at her questioningly.

"Oh," she realised she hadn't introduced herself "I'm Mary. Mary Collins."

"Goodbye Mary, maybe we'll meet again someday." Mary Collins smiled and turned, walking away between the trees.

The warlock sighed relieved and turned his feet once more towards Camelot.

* * *

Upon his arrival in Camelot, Merlin went straight to the blacksmith and purchased a fine sword. It was the best one Tom, the blacksmith, had ever made. Tom's daughter ('Grace') was about to walk over to the castle where she worked as the Lady Morgana's ladies maid and since Merlin was going to see Gaius, he offered to accompany her.

"Thank you. I'm Guinevere but most people call me Gwen."

"Merlin." They shook hands and walked together to the castle. When they arrived there, Gwen went off

towards Lady Morgana's chamber and Merlin began to follow her directions to Gaius' chambers. However, as soon as she could no longer see him, Merlin turned around and made his way deep into the heart of the castle where he found two guards playing dice as they were guarding the entrance to a large, roughly hewn tunnel. Staying out of sight Merlin used his magic to move the guards' dice away from them down another passage, then as soon as the guards had followed the dice far enough away Merlin slipped past their post and down the tunnel, conjuring a ball of light as he did so. At the end of the tunnel the warlock found himself looking into a vast cavern.

"Kilgarrah, where are you?" he yelled into the abyss, "I've come to release you." An enormous bronze coloured dragon flew down to rest on an outcrop of rocks opposite the platform the boy stood on. The dragon stared at Merlin, confusion evident in his golden eyes.

"How…" he began and then stopped unsure what he wanted to ask.

"I stumbled upon the crystal cave last night." This was all the explanation Kilgarrah needed in order to understand what was going on.

"You have a sword?" he questioned the great warlock.

"Of course, but it needs to be burnished before it can release you."

"What will you do with it afterwards?"

"I will place it where none can yield it until such time as Arthur Pendragon is ready to. Or until it is needed again." The warlock held up the sword and the dragon gathered himself. Then in a spurt of heat that would have melted Merlin if it had been aimed at him, the dragon breathed fire over the blade and created a weapon that could destroy anything, even the dead.

The warlock took the sword in both hands and walked around to where great chains bound the dragon to the wall of the cavern. Holding the sword aloft Emrys began to mutter a spell under his breath and as he brought the sword down, it sliced easily through the chains causing them to shatter into a thousand pieces.

"Thank you Merlin. I am in your debt. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Find my father; take him home to my mother. Please Kilgarrah." The dragon bowed its head in acknowledgement then lifted its wings and flew away, leaving the cave for the first time in twenty years. Merlin smiled at the spot the dragon had just vacated. He knew freeing Kilgarrah was a risk. The dragon could easily and justly attack Camelot after such a long imprisonment here, but instinct told Emrys that the dragon would honour his debt to Merlin first. Balinor, Merlin's father, was a dragon lord so he would be able to stop Kilgarrah attacking the city, if he should decide to do so after reuniting his lord with Merlin's mother.

Still smiling, Merlin lifted the sword into the air and drove it into the rocks the dragon had been perched on. No one but Merlin, or Arthur once he was ready, would be able to remove that sword from that stone.

* * *

Merlin crept back up the passage and once again used his magic to get past the guards at the entrance. Then finally a day later than he meant to be, the warlock took himself to Gaius' chambers. Knocking on the door he called out to his uncle. An older gentleman opened the door.

"Merlin?" Gaius questioned, having not seen his nephew since he was a child of five.

"Yes."

"You were supposed to be here yesterday. I've been very worried."

"I got a bit lost. Came through the valley of the fallen kings. Found the crystal cave actually."

"WHAT?" exclaimed the uncle.

"Oh, yeah, it also turns out that I'm Emrys and Arthur is the Once and Future King." Merlin informed the court physician, who looked like he would pass out with shock. Merlin got him to sit down then told him about everything that had happened since he left the cave. His uncle looked more and more incredulous with every word Merlin spoke.

"You released the dragon?" This was spoken in a hushed whisper. Gaius didn't want anyone to overhear.

"Yeah, he doesn't deserve to be trapped under Camelot." Merlin shrugged.

"But how did you even know about the dragon?" The court physician had been one of very few who knew the dragon was even still alive under there. It wasn't like the king ever bothered to feed it. It was lucky that dragons could go for long periods of time without food really.

"The cave told me," was all Merlin would say on the matter.

Shoving his bag into the room Gaius had prepared for him, which had previously been used for storage, Merlin decided to take a stroll to get his bearings of the castle while Gaius went to speak with the steward to see if there were any jobs in the castle that Merlin could take on. It was a sunny day and lots of people were outside enjoying the weather and watching the knights train. Emrys spotted the Once and Future King amongst his knights.

"Where's the target?" the prince was demanding of a terrified servant.

"Over there sire."

"But that's into the sun."

"It's not that bright."

"A bit like you then." The prince retorted.

"I'll move it shall I Sire?" The servant began to move the target and whilst he was walking the prince threw one of the knives in his hand. It hit the bullseye. The servant stopped moving but the prince demanded he keep going and threw several more knives. Eventually the servant dropped the target which rolled towards Merlin and came to a stop when he put his foot upon it.

"Wow. I didn't expect the Once and Future King to be such a prat." Muttered the Warlock. Unfortunately Arthur Pendragon heard the end of that sentence.

"What did you call me?" the prince demanded of Merlin.

"A prat." Merlin declared unrepentantly.

"You can't talk to me like that." The Prince declared angrily and had two of the guards throw Merlin into the stocks.

When Merlin returned to Gaius' chambers, the old physician was far from impressed.

"You need to be more careful Merlin. Someone like you needs to keep their head down." Merlin snorted.

"Don't worry Gaius, I'm careful. I was just in shock that the Once and Future King could be such a prat." Gaius raised an eyebrow at his nephew, who didn't seem at all cowed by the expression, much to Gaius' surprise. No one could withstand The Eyebrow of Doom. Except it would seem his nephew could. That was quite annoying.

"Anyway Merlin," Gaius said, "I've got you a job. You're to be Prince Arthur's manservant."

"Well that's one way to keep an eye on the prat I suppose."


	3. A Knight Named Valiant

A Knight Named Valiant:

Merlin had been working for the royal prat for a week when a tournament took place. Knights came from far and wide for a chance to compete in the tournament and win 1000 gold pieces along with the honour of earning the title of Champion.

Arthur had been forcing Merlin to help him train for the tournament which was not something the warlock enjoyed doing. He'd never had any experience with weaponry and had no idea what he was supposed to be doing.

When he returned to Gaius's chambers after training the day before the tournament Merlin's ears were ringing. Groaning Merlin summoned a book on tournament etiquette and tried to concentrate on what the book was telling him. Gaius gave his nephew a stern look for using his magic so causally in Camelot.

Since Merlin knew nothing about armour he sought aid from someone who did. Since Gwen was the daughter of a blacksmith she knew everything there was to know about armour and the warlock spent the afternoon in the blacksmith's house as Gwen imparted all of her knowledge to him. This enabled Merlin to help Arthur into his armour reasonably successfully the following day.

At the tournament grounds, Gwen sat with the Lady Morgana in the stands both watching the proceedings excitedly. King Uther strutted up and down in front of the rows of competing knights.

"Knights of the realm, it's a great honour to welcome you to a tournament at Camelot. Over the next three days, you will come to put your bravery to the test, your skills as warriors, and of course, to challenge the reigning champion, my son, Prince Arthur. Only one can have the honour of being crowned champion, and he will receive a prize of 1,000 gold pieces. It is in combat that we learn a knight's true nature, whether he is indeed a warrior or a coward. The tournament begins!" The king declared. As he walked away to sit upon his throne, he hissed at his son to make him proud.

The tournament commences and Arthur and a knight named Valiant both perform particularly well and both make it through to the next day's competition. As Merlin and Arthur stand near the tournament ground watching the final matches of the day, Valiant approaches to offer Arthur his congratulations on the day's victories.

"Likewise." Arthur responded.

"I hope to see you at the reception this evening." Valiant stated before walking away, his servant hurrying along in his wake.

"Creep." Muttered Merlin. Arthur must have heard him because he snorted with amusement before giving Merlin a long list of chores to complete before the morning. Merlin used magic to get them done. Gaius was not amused.

* * *

The following morning when Merlin went to fetch the prince's armour from the armoury, he heard a hissing sound coming from Knight Valiant's shield. Before he could investigate however the knight himself walked in to collect his own armour.

One of the first matches of the day was between Valiant and Sir Ewan. Valiant managed to knock Sir Ewan over and pinned him down with his shield. Emrys suddenly felt a rush of dark magic coming from the shield. Remembering the hissing from earlier the warlock was uneasy and cast a spell allowing him to see what was happening to Sir Ewan just as a snake came out of the shield and bit the poor knight's neck.

"Bebay odothay arisan quickum." Emrys murmured softly so no one else would hear him as Valiant stood up straight again. Three snakes suddenly jumped out of the shield.

"What are you doing? I didn't summon you!" yelled Valiant in annoyance.

"Sorcery! Guards! Arrest him!" shouted Uther pointing at Valiant who was escorted to the dungeons while Arthur dispatched the highly venomous snakes and Gaius had Sir Ewan taken to his chambers for treatment. The rest of the tournament passed without incident though Gaius missed it due to finding an antidote to the snake venom.

Once the tournament was finished and Arthur had been crowned the victor, Valiant was given a trial. He only received this honour because he was a noble. Uther had already decided the man's guilt. The day ended with Valiant's execution.


	4. A Creature Made of Clay

A Creature Made of Clay:

A few weeks after the tournament, Merlin was helping Gaius with his rounds in the lower town when they came across a body lying in the street. The man was dead and when Gaius turned the corpse to face them a white face and eyes were revealed. A wave of dark magic coming from the dead man hit Emrys.

"Sorcery did this." He told his uncle who nodded grimly.

"People mustn't see this. They'd panic." The old man stated. The warlock covered the body with an old sheet and the two men carried it to the physician's chambers. They had only just arrived when a guard informed Gaius that the King required his physician's presence in the throne room. Arriving in the throne room, the two men saw another corpse affected in the same way as the first.

"What has happened to him?" demanded the King.

"I do not know your majesty. This is the second case I have seen today. It may be some kind of plague" replied the court physician, not wanting to start a sorcerer hunt when he had a feeling that he might know who did this. She definitely wouldn't be found in Camelot.

The king dismissed Gaius instructing him to find a cure as soon as possible and if he could find the cause so they could stop the spread even sooner than the cure then that would be appreciated. He also instructed Arthur to lend Merlin to Gaius so he could help him.

* * *

When they returned to the physician's rooms to examine the bodies, Emrys used his magic to investigate the dark magic he had felt earlier.

"It must be something in the food supply or the water. The dark magic seems to be focused in this man's stomach" the warlock informed his uncle. The court physician handed his nephew a bucket and told him to fetch a sample of water. When the young man returned with the water, Gaius dipped a flower into the water and it wilted instantly, losing its colour.

"Well, that's how it's spreading, something must be contaminating the water supply. We'd best go have a look." Gaius proclaimed. The warlock and the physician walked down to the cavern where the water supply is kept. All seems normal until a large brown creature suddenly rears up out of the water.

"What is that?" Emrys might be the most powerful warlock of all time but he's not omniscient.

"It looks rather like an afanc. It must be what is causing this disease." Gaius told his nephew. "Unfortunately, I don't know how to get rid of it."

"There has to be a way." Emrys proclaimed before almost walking into Arthur as he exited the cavern.

"A way to what?" asked Arthur having only heard the last line of the conversation.

"The disease is being caused by something called an afanc, which is living in the water supply. We don't know how to get rid of it but if we could then no one else would get ill." Merlin explained to the prince and to Lady Morgana who was with him.

"Then we must destroy it" declared Morgana. 'Justice' thought Emrys.

"What is an afanc?" the prince inquired of Gaius who told them all that the afanc was a beast born of clay (earth and water) that could only be conjured up by the most powerful of sorcerers – the high priests and priestesses of the old religion. That gave Emrys an idea.

Arthur, Morgana and Merlin entered the cavern half an hour later carrying swords and torches. When the afanc appeared Arthur tried to fight it with his sword but the beast knocked it out of his hand and it clattered across the cavern floor.

"Use the torch." Merlin shouted urgently. Arthur waved his torch at the afanc and Emrys muttered a quiet spell that created a breeze which caught the torch's flames and carried them to the afanc which was destroyed. Pleased and oblivious Arthur headed out of the tunnels but Morgana placed a hand on Merlin's arm, holding him back. As soon as Arthur was out of earshot the king's ward turned to the warlock.

"You used magic" she stated. Merlin knew that if he did not tell Justice the truth she would be corrupted to Revenge. He couldn't allow that to happen.

"I did my lady. It is my duty to protect Camelot when no one else can."

"Your duty?"

"It was prophesised many years ago that a grieving king would destroy the balance of life by attempting to wipe out magic and that a great king would restore the balance and lead Albion into a golden age with the help of a powerful warlock. I am the warlock and Arthur is the great king."

"So Uther is the grieving king?"

"That is so, lady Justice."

"Why do you call me Justice."

"It is the title the prophecy gives you. It refers to Gwen as grace."


	5. Of Mortaeus Flowers

Of Mortaeus Flowers:

It is only a few days after the defeat of the afanc that Lord Bayard of Mercia arrives with a large party, in order to sign a peace treaty. Camelot and Mercia have been at war for many years and it is hoped that this treaty will lead to a new friendship between the two kingdoms.

Merlin is helping carry luggage to the guest chambers when one of Lord Bayard's servants trips and falls just in front of him. The warlock helps the young woman pick up some of the pillows she dropped and doing so catches her eye. As they stand up Emrys notices that she has strong magic. She's probably a high priestess. He wonders briefly what she's doing as a servant in the Mercian court but is interrupted from his musings as she introduces herself.

"I'm Cara."

"Merlin."

"You're Arthur's servant. That must be such an honour."

"Well, you know, someone has to keep the place running." Merlin joked. Cara smiled at Merlin and then thanked him for his help. At which point, Merlin realised he was still holding the pillow he'd picked up for her. He handed it back and the two servants went on their way.

* * *

Later that day, Merlin is in Arthur's chambers gathering up the prince's clothing for the evening's feast. He can't help noticing the stench.

"When's the last time these were cleaned?"

"Last year sometime. Before the feast of Beltane."

"Did it end in a food fight?"

"Don't all feasts?"

"I wouldn't know. The airs and graces of the court are a total mystery to me."

"Well tonight you might get a better understanding. If I have to sit through Bayard's boring speeches, I don't see why you should get out of it. Besides, you'll need to make sure my cup doesn't run dry." The prince then produced the most ghastly outfit complete with a hat that had the most ridiculous feather on it.

"This is what you'll be wearing tonight. The official ceremonial robes of the servants of Camelot" he told Merlin.

"You can't be serious." Merlin argued.

Merlin feels ridiculous at the festivities that evening. Noticing Cara across the room he took off the hat. Gwen couldn't help teasing him about her.

"People of Camelot, for a great many years we have been mortal enemies, and the blood of our men stains the ground from the walls of Camelot to the gates of Mercia. And though we remember those who have died, we must not allow anymore to join them. As a symbol of our goodwill, and of our newfound friendship, I present these ceremonial goblets to you, Uther, and to your son, Arthur, in the hope that our friendship will last."

Cara approached Merlin and in a voice trembling with anxiety asked to speak with the warlock outside. Once in the corridor Cara explained haltingly that she had seen Bayard put poison in Arthur's goblet. Emrys knew she was lying. In an instant he saw the truth. The high priestess, whose name was probably not Cara, had pretended to be a servant to poison Arthur's cup. She had then told him in the hope that he would drink it himself. She was probably the one who sent the afanc!

Emrys growled and a wave of his magic threw the high priestess backwards to hit the wall. Re-entering the hall of ceremonies the warlock assessed the situation. Arthur was just about to drink from his goblet. Merlin couldn't allow that. Slowing down time, the legendary warlock ran across the room, plucked the goblet from the prince's hand and drank the liquid inside himself.

"Merlin!" growled the prince angrily then before he could berate his servant further the boy clutched his throat and fell to the ground. Everyone stared at the collapsed servant in confusion for a moment before Uther, realising the goblet intended for his son had been poisoned, had Bayard and his men arrested, assuming they had done it. Arthur picked up his servant and almost ran to the physician's chambers, Gaius and Gwen hot on his heels. Gwen clutches the goblet tightly in her hand. Morgana follows at a more sedate pace.

"Lay him on the bed," orders Gaius, "quickly; he's struggling to breathe. Gwen, fetch me some water and a towel." Gwen nodded and ran to obey Gaius's commands.

"Is he going to be alright?" Arthur asked anxiously. Morgana entered Gaius's chambers looking worried.

"How did he know about the poison though?" she asked rhetorically.

"Just before he drank from the goblet, one of Lord Bayard's serving girls took him outside. Perhaps she told him." Gwen suggested. Gaius, who had been investigating the goblet, now spoke.

"There's something stuck on the inside. It looks like a flower petal of some kind." The physician grabbed one of the books off his bookshelf and started to flick through it.

"Ah. The petal comes from the Mortaeus flower. It says here that someone poisoned by the Mortaeus can only be saved by a potion made from the leaves of the very same flower. It can only be found in the caves deep beneath the Forest of Balor." Arthur, who had been looking over the physician's shoulder, pointed to a picture of a strange looking beast.

"That's not particularly friendly."

"It's a cockatrice, they live in the forest. One drop of their venom would kill a man instantly" the court physician informed the prince.

"Sounds like fun" the prince stated.

"I'm coming with you." Morgana added.

"No Morgana, father will not let either of us go, it will be easier to slip away if just one of us goes. Stay here and help Gaius." The prince now left the physicians chamber to prepare his horse for the journey. Not half an hour later, the prince left Camelot riding at full gallop. Morgana watched his departure with a grim face. Turning to Gaius she asked,

"What happens to Merlin if Arthur doesn't get the antidote?"

"The Mortaeus induces a slow and painful death. He may hold out for four, maybe five days, but not much longer. He will die." Morgana nodded and made to follow the prince.

"I will not stop you going my lady. But be careful. The Forest of Balor is a dangerous place."

Gwen watched her mistress leave then turned back to Merlin. Dabbing at the man's forehead with a wet cloth the maid noticed that he seemed to be getting hotter and told Gaius so. Then she jumped as she heard Merlin muttering strange words she'd never heard before.

"Him. Liffrea, wuldres wealdend, woroldare forgeaf."

"What language is that?" Gwen asked Gaius.

"It isn't one. That's the fever talking." Gaius lied to Gwen whilst wondering why Merlin had said 'The Lord of life, the ruler of the world, endowed him with worldly honour' in the language of the old religion. It definitely wasn't a spell and Gaius had never heard of anyone just talking in that language. It was only used for spells.

Gwen suddenly noticed a rash on Merlin's arm. Gaius came over and looked at the rash in shock.

"That can't be right," the physician murmured, "the rash isn't supposed to appear until the final stage. After the rash appears the patient will die within two days. Something must have increased the flower's potency. Aha it says here that the effects of the Mortaeus poison will be more rapid if an enchantment is used during the preparation."

"An enchantment! But Bayard is no sorcerer!" exclaimed Gwen.

"No he's not" agreed Gaius. The physician looked sharply at Gwen.

"Arthur could be walking into a trap!"

"And Morgana was following him!"

"Arthur. Morgana. It's a trap" murmured Merlin stirring restlessly.

* * *

In the forest of Balor, Arthur had just defeated a cockatrice and was now trying to comfort a weeping girl who wore a torn and tattered gown. Scratches were visible on her arm. When Arthur mentioned that he was looking for the Mortaeus flower the girl said she knew where they grew as she knew the caves. So Arthur followed the girl through many tunnels until she pointed to a bunch of flowers that could only be reached by going across a narrow outcrop of rock.

* * *

Back in Camelot Merlin was still muttering in a feverish way about Arthur walking into a trap. Suddenly he spoke in the old tongue again.

"Arthur – swa sceal geong guma gode gewyrcean." Gaius, wondering why Merlin was saying 'so should a young man do good deeds' in the old tongue, sent Gwen out of the room on the pretence of fetching more Wolfbane.

* * *

As Arthur crossed the treacherously narrow ledge of rock in the caves of Balor, the earth began to shake and the prince suddenly heard the girl speaking in the language of sorcerers.

"What are you doing?" he cried out. The rock fell away from under him and the prince dropped his torch as he leapt for a ledge he had been walking towards.

"I expected so much more" the lady declared.

"Who are you?"

"The last face you shall ever see. It seems we have a visitor. I'll leave him to finish you off. It's not your destiny to die at my hand." With these words the high priestess turned and swept out of the cave, confident in her belief that she had had her revenge on the men who had destroyed her afanc. Arthur was left dangling in the dark with giant spiders closing in.

* * *

Merlin was still muttering away in the physician's chambers.

"It's too dark Arthur. It's too dark. Fromum feohgiftum on faeder bearme. Fromum feogiftum." Gaius wondered why Merlin had said 'by gifts of treasure, and under his father's protection' as he turned to his nephew and noticed a strange glow under the sheets. Folding them back the physician saw a glowing blue ball of light. Gold threads were weaving between the blue.

* * *

As Morgana drew close to the Cave of Balor she noticed a young woman emerging from the cavern entrance. The woman looked rather like one of the servants who had come as part of Bayard's entourage. Feeling suddenly afraid for her surrogate brother the lady hurriedly lit a torch and ran into the caves.

The moment Lady Morgana found Prince Arthur dangling from a ledge and surrounded by spiders was also the moment that a strange ball of light, identical to the one Merlin held back at Camelot though this one was bigger, appeared. The light hovered around the prince protectively. Any spiders that touched the light dropped down dead. The prince, now he could see and wasn't totally surrounded by spiders, was able to pull himself up onto the ledge and grab the Mortaeus flower.

As soon as the flower had been collected the prince braced himself and jumped back across to where Morgana waited for him, holding out her hand for him to balance upon landing. The strange light led the two out of the caves before it disappeared.

It was Morgana who entered the city first with the Mortaeus flower. She had claimed to be going for a ride and her return would cause no fuss. The prince was likely to be in trouble with Uther since he had snuck out of the city going against the king's wishes.

Morgana anxiously handed Gaius the flower who immediately sent both ladies to fetch water for him. The antidote needed to be enchanted since the poison had been enchanted. When the ladies returned with the water Gaius diluted some of the antidote and gave it to Merlin. However, it appeared he was too late. Merlin was already dead. Gwen clung to Gaius and sobbed.

"That's disgusting! You're old enough to be her grandfather!"

It was Merlin! He was alive!


End file.
